On 21 September, I gave an introductory presentation at the EMN Austria National Conference on Irregular Migration and Return in the EU and Austria. The conference occurred amidst further flows of migrants and refugees entering Austria’s southern borders. As a country of only eight million, the country is now anticipating flows of up to 90,000 asylum seekers this year. The conference provided a great venue for debate and discussion on current irregular migration and return policies in … [Read more...]

I spoke with journalist Ulla Poulsen from Kristeligt Dagblad in Denmark this week regarding the current refugee crisis. Here is her published article in Danish (see English translation below). The article addresses concerns regarding the fence between Hungary and Serbia. I argue that the fence will not stop people from migrating to Europe. Even if further fences are put into place the concern is that increased border controls will lead to people taking more dangerous routes to access … [Read more...]

On 8-9th July, ELIAMEP and EUI co-hosted the final conference of the Governing Irregular Migration: States, Actors and Intermediaries project in Athens. This project examined the experiences of migrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Albania, Georgia and the Ukraine to Greece. It was a great conference and I really enjoyed learning more about these diverse migration routes to Greece. I presented on irregular Afghans in the Netherlands modes of survival and future plans. It was a great session with … [Read more...]